Earring and its manufacturing method

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an earring comprising a body in the form of a hollow pipe ring, with both ends of the body scaled to form scaling parts; a joint having a pin pivotable therein and coupled to the sealing part formed at one end of the body; and a catch coupled to the sealing part formed at the other end of the body to receive the pin therein. Further, a method of manufacturing the earring comprises cutting off both ends of a hollow pipe of a predetermined length; pressing the ends of the hollow pipe to form sealing parts and curving the pipe to form a ring-shaped body; plating the body with a predetermined material; and fitting the sealing parts to the joint and the catch respectively to be coupled therewith.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an earring and its manufacturing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an earring having a body made in the form of a hollow pipe ring and plated on its surface with no plating solution flowing into the body and a manufacturing method of the earring, whereby users can wear large earrings without concern about weight of the earrings and the earrings can be manufactured efficiently and economically.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An earring is an ornament worn on or pendent from the ear, especially the earlobe, and is variable in its designs depending on a user's taste.

An earring formed in a ring shape is one of the typical design earrings. Such a ring-shaped earring was manufactured by bending one or two metal wires of about 1 mm thickness to form a ring with both ends open, and coupling a joint with a pin with one end of the metal wire(s) and coupling a catch with the other end of the metal wire(s) to receive the pin therein. Since this kind of earring made of metal wire(s) had a large diameter and was thin, it was easy to plate the ring and the productivity was fine.

However, if an earring made of thick metal wire having a large diameter was to be manufactured, the earring became so heavy that it could cause consumers to refrain from buying and wearing it.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem for the thick and large metal earring, a light wax was used as a material for a body of the earring. The wax was bent to form a ring shape and coated with silver dust by electroplating.

However, although such a ring-shaped earring having a thick and large body made of wax was light compared to its size, as it was necessary to plate the wax body with silver dust many times for thick plating, manufacturing costs increased and consequently price of the earring increased.

Therefore, in order to manufacture a light earring having a large size, it would be preferable to manufacture an earring having a body in the form of a hollow pipe ring.,

A ring-shaped earring having a hollow body could indeed be light. However, since such earring was manufactured by bending a pipe with its both ends open, in the process of plating the pipe, a plating solution was introduced into the pipe through its open ends. Thus, after the process of plating, the pipe had to stand for quite some time with its both ends down, to get rid of the plating solution, which had been introduced into the pipe. This could increase consumption and waste of the plating solution and deteriorate the productivity. Also, manufacturing costs could be increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to solve the above disadvantages of the conventional earrings and to provide an earring having a body made in the form of a hollow pipe ring and plated on its surface with no plating solution flowing into the body, so that even large earrings can be worn by users without concern about heavy weight and manufacturing costs can considerably be saved.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing the earring made in the form of a hollow pipe ring with both ends of the pipe scaled, so that a plating solution can be prevented from flowing into the pipe, and manufacturing time can be shortened and manufacturing efficiency can be enhanced.

In order to achieve the above objects, an earring according to the present invention comprises a body in the form of a hollow pipe ring, with both ends of the body sealed to form sealing parts; a joint having a pin pivotable therein and coupled to the sealing part formed at one end of the body; and a catch coupled to the sealing part formed at the other end of the body to receive the pin therein.

The earring according to the present invention further comprises insertion holes respectively provided on one side of each of the joint and the catch for coupling with the sealing parts.

In addition, a method of manufacturing the earring according to the present invention comprises cutting off both ends of a hollow pipe of a predetermined length; pressing the ends of the hollow pipe to form sealing parts and curving the pipe to form a ring-shaped body; plating the body with a predetermined material; and fitting the scaling parts of the body to the joint and the catch respectively to be coupled therewith.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a disassembled perspective view of an earring according to the present invention, wherein a body has not yet been curved to form a ring and a pin is attached to a joint;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the earring according to the present invention, wherein the body is curved and the joint with the pin is coupled to one end of the body, while a catch is coupled to the other end of the body; and

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are partial cross-sectional views of the earring according so the present invention, showing the joint with the pin before and after being coupled to one end of the body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an earring according to the present invention comprises a body (10) in the form of hollow pipe ring, with both ends of the body (10) scaled to form scaling parts (11 a and 11 b); a joint (20) having a pin (22) pivotable therein and coupled to the sealing part formed at one end of the body (10); and a catch (30) coupled to the sealing part formed at the other end of the body (10) to receive the pin (22) therein.

The scaling parts (11 a and 11 b) of the body (10) may be formed by a method of rolling or hydraulic rolling.

According to the present invention, due to the scaling parts (11 a and 11 b), formed at both ends of the hollow pipe, a plating solution used in the process of plating can be prevented from entering the body (10).

The earring according to the present invention may be made of metal or plastic.

The earring according to the present invention further comprises insertion holes (21 and 31) respectively provided on one side of each of the joint (20) and the catch (30) for coupling with the sealing parts (11 a and 11 b).

A method of manufacturing the earring according to the present invention will be described below in detail step by step.

1. Preparation of Components

A hollow cylindrical pipe is prepared. Both ends of the hollow pipe are cut off to have a predetermined length.

Depending on designs of earrings to be made, the length and width of the pipe can be varied. For instance, the cross sectional area of both ends of the pipe may be equal to that of the central portion of the pipe. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1, the body (10) may be formed tapered towards both ends.

Further, the joint (20) with the pin (22) and the catch (30) are preliminarily formed. The joint (20) and the catch (30) include insertion holes (21 and 31) respectively formed on their extended side.

2. Formation of the Body

Both ends of the hollow pipe are pressed and scaled by hydraulic rolling to form the sealing parts (11 a and 11 b). Then, the pipe is curved to form the body (10) in the shape of a ring.

3. Plating

The ring-shaped body (10) is plated with a plating solution.

The plating solution can arbitrarily be selected from conventional ones.

Since both ends of the body (10) are formed with the scaling parts (11 a and 11 b), the plating solution cannot enter the body (10) in the process of plating. Thus, consumption or waste of the plating solution can remarkably be decreased.

Further, it is no longer necessary to stand the body (10) with its both ends down for a long time to remove the plating solution from the inside of the body (10).

4. Coupling of the Joint and the Catch With the Body

As shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, the scaling part (11 a) formed at one end of the body (10) is fitted and connected to the insertion hole (21) on one side of the joint (20), which is provided with a pin (22) pivotable thereon.

The sealing part (11 b) of the body (10) is fitted and connected to the insertion hole (31) provided on one side of the catch (30).

The sealing parts (11 a and 11 b) may be connected with the insertion holes (21 and 31) by welding.

As shown in FIG. 2, although the central portion of the body (10) of the earring is formed thicker than both ends, since both ends of the body (10) are blocked by the sealing parts (11 a and 11 b), the plating solution cannot enter the body (10) while plating.

In addition, since the sealing parts (11 a and 11 b) are formed to have a small diameter, the insertion holes (21 and 31) are formed small and the appearance of the earring can be more sophisticated.

As described above, an earring according to the present invention has a body made in the form of a hollow pipe ring and plated on its surface with no plating solution flowing into the body. Thus, users can wear large earrings without concern about heavy weight and manufacturing costs can considerably be saved.

Further, according to the present invention, a method of manufacturing the earring prevents a plating solution from flowing into the pipe, and manufacturing time can be shortened and manufacturing efficiency can be enhanced.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The present invention covers the modifications and variations thereof provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. An earring comprising: a body in the form of a hollow pipe ring, with both ends of the body sealed to form sealing parts: a joint having a pin pivotable therein and coupled to the sealing part formed at one end of the body; and a catch coupled to the sealing part formed at the other end of the body to receive the pin therein.
 2. The earring as claimed in claim 1, further comprising insertion holes respectively provided on one side of each of the joint and the catch for coupling with the sealing parts.
 3. A method of manufacturing an earring comprising: cutting off both ends of a hollow pipe of a predetermined length; pressing the ends of the hollow pipe to form sealing parts and curving the pipe to form a ring-shaped body; plating the body with a predetermined material; and fitting the sealing parts to a joint and a catch respectively to be coupled therewith. 